The prospect of automatic tax increases and budget cuts creates uncertainty, holding back investment and hiring. Companies also are preparing to make their case to Congress for how to avoid the fiscal cliff entirely.

Los Angeles is one of many cities to offer tax breaks and financial incentives to attract new businesses.

Equality for women has come a long way but still has a way to go according to the 2012 Global Gender Gap report. The report ranks countries on the access women have to education, economic opportunity, healthcare and political power.

And finally, a new way to look at the political divide. YouGov BrandIndex has released a report on the brands favored by Democrats and Republicans. The top three brands for Democrats: Google, Amazon and Cheerios. M&Ms and PBS made the top 10. For Republicans: Fox News, the History Channel and Craftsman topped the list, followed by Clorox and the Discovery Channel.